If My Sister Were Here
by Anna Whitlinger
Summary: What do you do when you meet a bunch of Hetalia characters at your new school and they won't admit who they are? You follow them, infiltrate their home and eavesdrop on their conversations, of course. Only what I found out was slightly different from what I expected. A world apocalypse doesn't come along everyday, does it? An OC experiment.
1. New Girl

***Greetings, peoples of the Internet and Hetalia fangirls and fanboys.** **Thank you for visiting. (:D)**

***In order to avoid long, pointless A/N's, I shall use 6 asterisks per chapter instead.**

*** The prologue is mostly introducing my OC, Sophie, but you should read it since it explains quite a lot.**

*** Skip if you want. I can't stop you.**

***Last asterisk to story! Ohonhonhon...**

***ENJOY! Remember, reviews are love~**

* * *

**PROLOGUE**

okay, so I was walking down the street when suddenly BOOM! I landed in the Hetalia world! I woke up, spain was looking down at me, and he looked sooo cute! he gazed at me with these adorable green eyes and messy brown hair, i think i blushed "um, are you Spain" I asked then realized it was a totally stupid question. "why yes I am" he replied and smiled, my heart fluttered and I blushed. so he helped me up and we walked off, I noticed he was staring at me and I grew red, people DO say I have amazing curves and gorgeous eyes and hair. Well that's stupid i'm FAT. Maybe I'm just too modest. so anyway we chatted on the way until i asked him where we were going and he said "to Romano's house" and I smiled. "thats great!" i said.

Instructions: Define the above in one phrase.

There is no one phrase.

I did the math in my head: cliche, Sue fic, horrible grammar, and made no sense. Trust me; you've never seen a worse grammar freak than I was. Or a worse fanfiction reviewer. My responses usually went something like this:

_Your grammar is terrible and I don't understand why you fell in love with THREE fucking countries, on the same day. And they all kissed you. ON THE SAME FUCKING DAY._

Or this:

_I love it! It's so darn sweet!_

_Only you forgot to add the main character's name._

Or this:

_This is amazing! Something I hafta point out though: Russia is a guy._

Nope, just kidding. I haven't read something as absurd as THAT yet. If I did, I'd cry.

Since you're already confused, I guess I really need to tell you about my greedy cat, me, and my messed up life.

And the fact that I have a text message stalker who calls himself Cuddles. He sends me knock knock jokes on a daily basis, so I can't really complain, can I?

So, on with the story. My name is Sophie Dupont. My middle name is RukEE, but I rarely use it since it since it sounds like someone's grandma died. I was born on the tiny island of Sira, a dot on the Atlantic Ocean. You've probably never heard of it before, since it's a pretty new country. When I was young, my parents divorced and I moved with my mom to Spain. A few years later she adopted a kid from Sri Lanka, who became my younger brother and a pain in the ass. My cat is the most annoying, fat, plump cat I have ever seen.

My cat was currently pissing all over my socks.

I shrieked and pushed Humpty Dumpty (yeah, it's his name)away. "You IDIOT!" I scolded; honestly, it was more of a scream. "Get out! GET OUT!"

Humpty gave a condescending meow and gracefully stepped out of my room, as gracefully as he could with all that fat in his stomach.

I sighed and pulled off my socks, which were already beginning to smell. Then I turned back to my computer screen, reading yet another Hetalia fanfic. I started obsessing over Hetalia a year ago, when I realized what an amazing idea it was. Now I can listen intently to my history teacher without falling asleep, like I used to. Like every other fangirl, my rules of obsession went something like this:

Okay with it: Watches anime/reads manga  
Interested in it: Watches all episodes/all volumes  
Likes it: Reads fanfiction  
Loves it: Writes fanfiction  
Completely Obsessed: Does fanart

Currently, Hetalia was at Level Completely Obsessed. The last time I had ever gotten to that level was Fairy Tail. But this story isn't about Fairy Tail and poor, useless Lucy whose ass is constantly getting saved by Natsu. This is about the awesomesauce Hetalia, and how it managed to enter my world and completely mess up my life.

**xXx**

At about the time when I was reading an amazing Jokir fanfic, my ten-year old adoptive brother, Savansh, barged in.

"Why does it smell like cat pee in here?" he asked.

I sighed, swiveling my chair to face him. "How many times do I have to tell you to knock before you enter?"

"Yeah, whatever. Anyways, Mom says you have to start packing."

"Okay, I got it," I said. "Now get out of my room."

Savansh snatched one of my printed USUK fanfics and dashed out of the room. I jumped up and chased after him.

"GIVE THAT BACK!" I screeched.

He laughed and began reading from it. "_'I love you, Artie,'_" Savansh read in a high-pitched voice.

"I said, gimme that paper!" I ran at top speed, but that kid was a naturally fast runner; I could only hope he'd trip over Humpty or something.

_"They kissed and he felt like he was on the top of the world,"_ Savansh continued, slowing to a walk. _"But then again, he would always be with his beloved Alfred."_ He looked up from the paper, a disgusted expression on his face. "So this is what you do in your free time? Write about gay soap operas?"

"Shut up." I snatched the paper from Savansh and stalked promptly back to the safe haven of my room.

Since that little scene already revealed a few things, I guess I'll do a bit more explaining. My OTP is USUK, and my brother is the typical sweet-and-innocent-on-the-outside-but-devil-on-the-inside little brother. He has rich, dark brown skin with a bit of baby fat on his face and adorable dark eyes that make you want to hug him. But once you get to know him, it's like he's a totally different person.

I, on the other hand, did not get any good looks. I was your average schoolgirl; dull brown hair, gray-green eyes, plain face, flat-chested. A junior-to-be with a bad sense of fashion, according to my best friend Maria. She's always telling me I'd look better if I used a little makeup.

You must be getting sick of my boring life by now, but I promise, it will get interesting. Very, very interesting.

With a cherry on top, of course. And a dose of a few knock knock jokes.

**xXx**

"Are we there yet?" Savansh whined to our mom, Ellen.

"No, but the plane's landing soon." She sipped her tea and gave a lovesick sigh of happiness. "Aren't you excited? We're going to see your father again! And you're getting a sister!"

Another thing I forgot to mention. Two years ago, our mom met our dad again at a Christmas party. It turned out he also adopted a child; a Siran girl named after the country. Surprise, surprise: our parents started dating again. Flash forward two years; we were moving back to Sira.

I didn't have anything against the island, I guess. But it still kinda sucks when your mom suddenly springs the news on you on your sixteenth birthday. I loved Spain, and why wouldn't I? I had friends, the whole damn place was sunny year round, and I had already lived there for twelve years.

The plane dipped down sharply, making my stomach flip. Twenty minutes later we landed. When I stepped outside, I shivered at the sudden blast of wind. Being close to the sea and all, Sira was a pretty windy place.

After a few hours we arrived at my dad's house, located in a quiet neighborhood in Ayan. It still looked the same; sloping roofs, scratched up windows and a few measly rose bushes in the front yard.

Savansh banged on the door, shouting in a terrible Spanish accent. "Hola, amigo! Open up! It's the Espanola polizia!"

I rolled my eyes. "Be polite," I chided him. "You've never even met my dad. And 'polizia' is Italian."

Savansh stuck his tongue out at me and tried the door. "Oh look, it's unlocked."

All three of us stepped inside and found a dark, empty house. A moment later a tall man appeared from the hallway. His facial features were familiar.

"Dad!" I ran to him and squeezed him in a tight hug; but something about him was off. He seemed...stiff, somehow.

"Dad?" I let him go and looked up at him, confused. "Is something wrong?"

He looked at my mother. I noticed his eyes were unnaturally shiny.

"Sira's gone," my father said, and that was when I felt my first pang of jealousy.

**CHAPTER ONE**

**Day One**

Even if your sister-to-be disappears and your dad becomes a mess and basically pretends you don't exist, it doesn't mean you don't have to go to school.

In the cool, air-conditioned office, I slumped in the bright orange plastic chair, tapping my foot anxiously. From the exterior, the school looked like the kind that rich kids would go to, that did fundraisers every year for the poorer parts of Africa. Definitely not my type of school.

The office door burst open and a flustered-looking kid hurried in. He had curly light blond hair and violet eyes, and looked about the same age as me. Maybe a little younger?

He looked around nervously, then noticed the bewildered, pale-skinned girl sitting quietly in the corner.

The guy started. "Oh, um, hi," he stammered, glancing at me. "Have you seen Vice Principal Kilmory?"

I studied his face. He looked familiar somehow...perhaps I'd seen him before?

"No," I answered. "Sorry, I'm new here."

He blinked, as if in surprise. "Y-You're new!" the kid exclaimed, as if that were the most amazing thing in the world.

"Uh...yeah?"

He blushed. "I-It's just that we haven't a new student in some time. W-Well, it's nice to meet you...I'm Raivis, by the way. Raivis Galante."

I stared at Raivis for about five seconds before reacting. I sat back in my chair. "OhmyGod! Y-You're Latvia from Hetalia! T-The anime! You even l-look like him, and y-your n-names are the s-same..."

He gaped at me, for even longer than I stared at him.

A long silence passed.

Then he said, "N-No, I-I'm not L-Latvia! W-Whoever that is! Y-You must have g-gotten the wrong person."

I said, "B-But-"

He said, "W-Well-"

I said, "Y-You-"

He said, "N-No-"

We stood there blithering like two idiots, until the principal's door opened and what looked like Vice Principal Kilmory herself stepped out. According to her nametag, her full name was Hannah Kilmory.

Raivis/Latvia quickly turned to Kilmory. "Sorry I'm late," he gushed, handing her some papers. "I had to stay after class because in the middle of his lecture the teacher fell asle-I mean, we needed to take some extra notes."

Kilmory sighed and slid the papers into her desk. "Raivis, you don't need to panic. You're only late by two minutes. Sometimes I wonder if Mr. Braginski is a very good influence on you."

I stared at her, open-mouthed. Did she just say _Braginski_? As in _Ivan_ Braginski?

This must all be some sort of joke. Or coincidence. Or both.

"He's my adoptive brother," Raivis said to me quickly. "Oh, and this is..." He looked at me expectantly.

"Sophie Dupont," I answered, looking at my vice principal. "I'm a new student starting my year as a junior."

Kilmory nodded in acknowledgement. "Yes, you're the new student. Welcome to TISA! I have your schedule and info here somewhere..." She rummaged through some drawers and pulled out a clear plastic folder, handing it to me.

"There, you're all set," she said, as I took them. "Now, hurry along for homeroom!"

I gave her a small smile. "Thanks!" This school was seriously organized...in my old school, newbies were basically ignored and had to find their way around by themselves.

I turned to make this comment to Raivis, but he had already gone.

**xXx**

It was easy enough to find my classroom; all the basic information was listed on the first page of my packet in thick block letters. Taking a deep breath, I counted to three and twisted the smooth shiny doorknob.

Inside, everything was in chaos. A tall guy with greasy black hair was tossing scrunched up paper around. Two girls were squealing over something on another person's laptop. Two guys wrestled in another corner. Spitballs stained the Smartboard at the front of the room.

Apparently, the teacher hadn't arrived yet.

I stepped more inside and looked around. When everyone saw me, they all quieted down. What Raivis said was probably true; new students were rare at this school, or else they wouldn't be gaping at me like that.

"Hey, new student!" someone shouted, in _another_ very familiar voice. What was up with my mind today?

Anyway, after that everything became chaotic once more. The person who shouted, a cheerful Asian guy, waved at me. "Come sit over here!"

I look down and instead walk past him, setting my backpack down next to a girl with black hair and green eyes so wrapped up in her book that she didn't even notice when I sat down heavily.

"Hi," I said to her. The girl looked up, startled. She had a petite face and pretty features. She could've been attractive if it weren't for her over-sized glasses.

"Oh, hey there!" She seemed surprised I was there. "So, um...you're the new student?"

I nodded and tried a smile. "I'm Sophie; I came here from Spain."

Her eyes widened. "Wow, _Spain_? I've always wanted to live there. My name is Jennifer, by the way, but you can just call me Jenny."

We shook hands, then I asked nonchalantly, "By the way, does anyone here like cosplaying? Hetalia, maybe?"

Jenny stared at me blankly. "What's Hetalia?"

Oh God. She had so much to learn. "It's the best anime ever," I gushed. "How can you not know it? I could show you, if I had a computer..."

"Don't worry, I have a laptop." Jenny slid out a sleek black notebook from her desk and set it on the table. "You'll get one too, eventually."

"This school gives out notebooks?"

"Yeah, we use them for homework and presentations. So, what is it you'd like to show me?"

Excitedly, I turned on the laptop. I opened Internet Explorer and typed Hetalia inside the search engine. The screen blanked and I waited for it to load.

"You'll love it," I said to Jenny. "It's amazing..."

I trailed off, my eyes resting on the screen. "What the..."

_No results containing all your search results were found._  
_Your search "Hetalia" did not match any documents._

_Suggestions_  
_-Make sure all words are spelled correctly._  
_-Try different keywords._  
_-Try more general keywords._

"Maybe you spelled it wrong," Jenny suggested.

"No, I'm pretty sure it's correct." I retyped it again, just in case. Same results.

It couldn't be. It just couldn't. I quickly switched to and looked under the Anime/Manga archive. Hetalia wasn't there, either. I checked other sites: wikinet, wiki, tumblr, deviantART. None of them showed any sign of the anime. It was as if...as if...

_As if Hetalia had never existed._

The classroom door opened and a smart-looking man walked in. He looked like he was in his mid-twenties, with curly brown hair, twinkling brown eyes and rimless glasses. He was also apparently hot, as half the girls sighed dreamily when he entered.

Jenny quickly snapped shut her laptop and placed it back in her desk.

"Hey, guys! My name is Mr. Hendrick, and I'll be your homeroom teacher for the year." He flashed a smile, wrote down some rules on the board, and motioned for us to copy it down.

As I was furiously jotting everything down, something hit my elbow. I set my pencil down and picked up the object; it was a folded piece of paper.

Unfolding it, I read the messy handwriting:

_AnnYeong! __안녕__!_

_Go out with me? :))))_

Something was scribbled out at the bottom. Squinting past the heavy black marks, I could make out a name: _Yong Soo_.

Yong Soo. Why did that sound familiar?

I looked around for the source of the note and found the Asian guy who had shouted smiling at me. He winked and turned back to his notebook.

I studied him closely, trying to grasp any memory that could explain why he looked familiar. He had brown eyes, dark hair and a stray curl that stuck out of his head. He wore modern enough clothes; a tan jacket over a white shirt with Snoopy on it.

I continued to stare, frustrated that I couldn't figure out who he was. The Asian (probably Korean)guy caught me staring and got the wrong idea. He gave me another smile and I blushed, looking back at my notebook.

It was halfway through class when I realized it. I had just been (sort of)asked out by a guy. A real, actual guy. It probably doesn't seem like much to you, but this was the first time I had ever been (sort of)asked out. Ever.

Before I knew it, the bell had rung and students were filing out of the classroom. "Yong Soo" was nowhere to be found. Oh well. I was going to give him back his note anyway; he probably tossed it to the wrong person or something. I followed the ocean of teens, until I made my way outside. My next class was Physics, in another building on the school campus.

The sun burned my skin as I walked alone, hugging my brand new laptop against my chest. I'd never had something this valuable before, so I treated the thing like it was made of pure gold.

A hand appeared from one of the alleyways and grabbed me, dragging me into the shadows. I was slammed against the wall, my laptop crashing to the ground. Damn.

I blinked and found myself staring at a few tall guys. They looked older than me, although it was hard to tell in the dim light of the alleyway.

"So," one of them said in a deep (and I have to admit, sexy)voice, "a newbie, huh?"

"Which grade?" another demanded.

"Junior," I squeaked, silently cursing myself for sounding so weak.

The first person grinned and moved closer to me, until I could feel his hot breath against my cheek. "Then I'll have a little fun with you."

Before my brain could process what the hell was happening, his hand had slipped underneath my shirt and was snaking upwards slowly, towards my chest.

What the _fuck_?

I tried to scream, but he covered my mouth with his hand. Another one grabbed my wrists so I couldn't move. His grip was so strong I think my circulation got cut off.

And then someone yelled, "Hey! Get your hands off her!" The next thing I knew, the person let go and my wrists were free. Using this as an opportunity, I delivered the hardest blow I could to my offender. He cried out and let me go; I ducked under his arms and sprinted back under the sun, away from the alleyway, where the sudden daylight blinded me momentarily.

I stood there panting and rubbing my wrists. Was I...did I actually get..._raped_? It wasn't as bad as the cases I saw on TV, where the victim is tied up, beaten, then forced into sexual activity. What just happened could've been done by a high schooler, but it still freaked me out.

"Whoa, you okay there?"

I whirled around and faced a guy with dusty blond hair, bright blue eyes and and glasses. He had on a tan jacket over a white T-shirt with the words "I'M THE HERO" on it. He looked concerned, but I could see a twinkle in his eye, like he knew something I didn't.

"Y-Yeah," I stuttered. Again, I felt like I knew him from somewhere. This might sound weird, but it seemed like something was clouding my mind, blocking me from the memory.`

He laughed. "You look pretty freaked out, but whatever you say! I scared those dudes away, so they probably won't bother you again. Alfred F. Jones, at your service." He stuck out his hand for me to shake.

I just stared at him. I _knew_ that name...but from where?

The invisible cloud/wall was blocking up my brain again. I tried to scale the barrier, to reach what was beyond and grasp the loose memory, but it was too strong.

I sound like a psycho, don't I? Sorry, I'm not very good at descriptions.

Alfred dropped his hand and gave me a puzzled look. "What's wrong?"

"N-Nothing," I said. "Thanks for helping me. W-Well, I'm Sophie-"

It was the cowlick that got me. Nantucket, to be exact.

I gasped...and a little loudly, too, people nearby gave me stares. "America," was all I could manage, before my heart started pounding _really_fast and I found it hard to breathe.

You'd hyperventilate too, if you just met a real-live version of a character from one of your favorite animes. And he was hotter in 3D.

Then again, most of the guys in Hetalia are hot.

"What do you mean?" Alfred/America still looked confused, but he _did_ seem a little off-guard.

Ha. I _knew_ it.

"Ha! I _knew_ it!" I practically shouted. "Hetalia exists! WOOHOO!"

I then did what I now think is a very embarrassing dance. It consists of swinging of the arms, then nodding of the head, then jumping from foot to foot, and then a clockwise turn of the...

Ahem. Sorry, I got carried away. So after that, I stopped dancing and realized I was late for class.

I turned to Alfred, and things got awkward. "So...I'll see you later?"

Now I felt like an idiot. He probably thought I was an idiot, and had no idea what Hetalia was. I mean, it was probably all some sort of coincidence, and I had just revealed everything to a complete stranger.

_A sexy stranger, too._

_Shut up, me._

"Yeah, sure," Alfred said, not meeting my eyes. Great. Now he thinks I'll suddenly launch off into the Can Can song or whatever.

"Um...bye." I turned away quickly, hiding my blush of humiliation. _Damn, that was embarrassing..._

Before I could run off, however, he grabbed my arm, making my skin tingle. "Wait!"

I faced him, a little hopefully, too.

"You forgot this," Alfred said, and placed my scratched up laptop in my arms. I stood there, disappointed, as he turned and walked away without another word.

* * *

***Well. Congrats if you dragged through the whole chapter.**

***Again, if you succeeded, I feel like giving you a standing O!**

***There's one more thing you can do to make me do Sophie's "happy dance"...**

***…review, maybe? **

***Thanks for reading, guys! I hope you liked it. :D**

…**x Whitlinger x…**


	2. Sophie Becomes a Stalker

***'Sup, my fellow Hetalians! **

***Well, thank you so much for the reviews, favorites and follows! I honestly thought no one would read my story, because 1)there are a lot of OCs and 2)the entire freaking thing was BOLDED. To those of you who are confused, I didn't mean to, and I even checked before posting.**

***But I guess FF also has a knack for trolling people.**

***Warning: There will be a lot of OC randomness (and bitchy cheerleader bonuses)in the first two chapters. If you read them anyway, then I love you. XD**

***If you want to understand the confusing plot line that will come, then you better read about Sophie's strange event. It explains a lot. Also, I changed the ending of the previous chapter so things won't move along too fast.**

***I have nothing more to say, so enjoy!**

* * *

**CHAPTER TWO**

_ "Are you sure this spell is going to work?"_

_ "Trust me, Japan. Never doubt the power of the United Kingdom."_

**xXx**

A strange thing happened to me some years ago. I was only nine, a skinny kid with stringy hair and braces. In Spain, everyone got along so no one made fun of me, neither.

I was always the top of my class in terms of grades, but that was where the good stuff ended. I had absolutely no artistic talent (and still don't), so while the teacher oohed and aahed over another girl in my class's works, the one who I remember had beautiful black hair and pure green eyes (unlike my grayish ones), she himmed and haahed over mine. I never excelled in any sports, with swimming as an exception because my mom believes that I might need to use those skills someday if I ever am to get myself into a water-related disaster. I was terrible at singing, even worse at piano.

So, on to the point.

Back in Spain, I walked home from school, and had to pass through the woods to get to our house. One time when I was trudging past all the trees, a hand grabbed my arm.

Naturally, I screamed. The woods were usually empty.

"Shh," a voice said. I turned to see a girl a few years older than me. She had auburn hair and the greenest eyes I had ever seen. She had the typical Siran look, too: small nose, curly hair, petite figure, pale skin.

The girl was more pretty than I would ever be.

"This might sound crazy," she said, "but I really need your help."

"Um," I said. "I think you got the wrong-"

"No, it's definitely you." She closed her eyes and seemed to think. Then her eyes opened and she stared at me intensely.

To be honest, I was a little freaked out by now.

"Are you Sophie RuKEE Dupont?" she asked.

I gulped. If she'd only said my first and last name, I wouldn't have been surprised. It was a pretty common name.

But she knew my middle name.

"Yes," I squeaked, my nine-year old knees shaking uncontrollably. "How did you know?"

"I asked around," she said. Her eyes wandered around nervously, then traveled back to my face. "Do you happen to be in possession of a pair of glass dice? They each have six sides and red dots, and sort of glow in the dark."

I gulped. She wasn't going to take it from me, was she?

"No, I don't have anything like that," I lied.

The girl looked doubtful. "Are you sure? It's a very important item."

I shook my head.

She sighed. "Alright, then. I guess I'll have to ask someone else." But as she spoke these words, I got the feeling that she knew I didn't tell the truth.

She turned and began to run off, but I called, "Wait!"

The girl turned her head, green eyes wide.

"Who are you?" I asked, a question that had been on my mind since the second we met.

She gave me a small smile and looked forward, walking away. "You'll meet me again," she said without glancing back. "I promise."

* * *

Day 1: Noon

Let me tell you this: one of the toughest obstacles you will ever have to face in high school is finding a table at lunch.

Like every other high school, TISA's cafeteria tables were split into specific groups. After a closer observation, meaning standing there like a total idiot with a measly PB& J sandwich and juice box in hand, I was able to figure out which was which. I'm not going to torture you with another long paragraph, so I'll list them out instead:

1) The jocks. Extremely buff guys that stank of deodorant with skinny girls on their laps.

2) The cheerleaders. Squealing girls in miniskirts and size two jeans, chattering about clothes and gossiping about the latest It couple.

3) The nerds. A mixture of both genders, debating about the laws of physics and roleplaying characters from their favorite video games.

4) The junkies. Exchanging drugs and occasionally sneaking outside for a smoke.

5) The goth group. Heavy dark makeup, chain jewelry, black clothes...what can I say?

6) The athletes. All you need to know is that I'll never be in this group. They'd kick me out, for sure.

7) The no-name group. It was sort of like the table where people who had no exact place went. It was also empty except for a plump girl with colorful braces.

There were two other tables, but I had no idea what to call them. They were either a bunch of Hetalia-obsessed cosplayers who were taking it too far, or there was something wrong with my brain.

If they _were_ cosplaying, then I'd say the first table consisted of Belarus, Korea, America, Lithuania, Estonia, Switzerland, and at the edge of the table, Canada. The second was Latvia, Liechtenstein, Seychelles, Sealand, and Taiwan.

Jenny was sitting with the nerds. She was in middle of a heated argument with a guy over the difference between kinetic energy and momentum, so I decided not to bother her and sat down at the no-name table.

"Are you_ sitting_ here?" the plump girl gasped, ogling at me like I was a celebrity.

"Um, yes." I cleared my throat awkwardly and began unwrapping my sandwich. The girl was still staring at me, and I fidgeted under her gaze.

"So, I'm Sophie," I said, just to reduce the awkwardness. "And you are..."

"Harriette!" she said brightly, with a wide smile that revealed all her shiny braces. "Wow, you must be the new girl! Everyone's talking about you. There are rumors that you're a Spanish princess who escaped here because you were running from a Russian assassin!"

Things sure got around fast. "Actually, I'm just a transfer student," I said. "I'm not a princess or anything; I think I'm pretty normal. Just like you, I guess."

Again Harriette gave me a startling glance. What was so amazing? All I did was tell the truth.

Then she blushed. "Sorry," she apologized. "You just seem so...nice. Everyone else would've..." Harriette trailed off and reddened even more, looking at something behind me.

When I turned around, I found an ultra-thin girl (about my age)with five-inch heels, heavy makeup, and silky blond hair standing with her arms crossed. Behind her were two other girls that acted as her retinue, snickering over something that very likely had to do with me.

From my experience of teen romance novels, I knew this was not going to be pleasant.

"I see you're...socializing," the girl said to Harriette, disgust clear in her voice, although she was smiling sweetly.

Harriette twisted her hands together and squeaked, "Go away, Emily."

Emily ignored her and sat down next to me, stretching her long, tanned legs. The other two giggled and copied her. I moved a little so she wasn't squeezing me.

She turned to me, flipping her hair so that it landed all over my half-eaten sandwich.

"So you're the new girl," she purred. "Sasha, right?"

"Sophie," I corrected. I just wished she'd move her hair so I could continue eating.

"Right. I don't mean to be rude, but why are you dressed for Halloween?"

"What?" I was confused.

"Hmm, I don't know...you _do_ look like a pumpkin to me," Emily said thoughtfully.

Her two clones giggled. My hands balled into fists. Sure, I was dressed in a dark orange shirt, orange vest and green jacket, but no one made fun of my sense of fashion. It was just who I am, and they had to deal with it.

Before I could say anything back, Emily was standing up, her friends mimicking her.

"Well, a farewell to you, ladies. And Harriette...I think you're a size too big for your jeans. Maybe two."

I thought that would be it, until Emily lunged for Harriette's cup of ice cream and smeared it all over her face and shirt.

The whole cafeteria grew quiet. Then someone said, "Guess fatass got her ice cream in the right place." Everyone but me and Harriette erupted into hysterical laughter. Harriette burst into tears and ran out of the room. I followed after, but stopped midway when I saw Emily's eyes shift to Alfred, who was dumping out his trash (which I guessed were probably hamburger wrappers).

Everyone's eyes on her, she sauntered up to him and put her hand on his chest. Alfred looked up and stared at Emily with a puzzled expression.

"Hi, Alfred," Emily purred, batting her eyelashes flirtatiously.

If he was really America, then he probably had no clue what was going on.

"Oh, 'sup!" Alfred said, flashing a million-watt grin. I think about half of the girls in the caf sighed longingly at that smile.

I pictured him making out with England and suppressed a fangirl squeal.

Emily flipped her hair and examined her nails. "I was thinking," she began without looking at him, "about that new restaurant that opened downtown. The food is absolutely _lovely_, and we could really go there tomorrow night."

He stopped smiling and pushed her hand away. "No thanks," he said tonelessly.

Emily's smile dropped. _"What?"_

"I'm not going to waste my time on an airhead like you." He then walked away, leaving Emily standing next to the trashcan like an idiot. I cheered silently in victory.

At least, that's what I thought would happen. Instead, to my horror, Alfred beamed and answered, "Sure, dude! We could totally grab something at Mickie D's instead, though."

Emily's smile wavered at the last part, but I guessed she'd do anything for a hot guy because she said, "Okay, if that's what you want. I'll see you Saturday." She stood on her tiptoes and whispered something in his ear, then walked off, swishing her hips.

I stared in open shock at the entire scene. This wasn't how things were supposed to happen! In books, the evil bitch cheerleader _never_ succeeded in getting the guy.

Then again, this was America (I think). He couldn't read the atmosphere at all, and if it made him heroic, he'd agree to go out with a frog.

Emily caught me staring and smirked. I glared at her, then, remembering Harriette, left the cafeteria.

**xXx**

"Sh-She's just s-so _mean_," Harriette hiccuped, water dripping from her hair. I handed her another tissue and she accepted it gratefully.

"Yeah, I understand," I said sympathetically. We were alone in the bathroom, where Harriette had cleaned herself up and changed into fresh clothes.

"Emily's always finding ways to torture me," she said, blowing her nose. "First it was the stupid admirer notes. And I actually believed someone liked me! Then it was hanging my spare underwear on the blackboard, then hiding my clothes so I couldn't change after swimming, and then...then the ice cream..." She began crying again.

"It's okay," I consulted her.

"I'm sorry for wasting your time," Harriette said, sniffling. "Y-You can go now...I'm sure you probably have something better to do."

"No, it's alright."

We were silent for a moment, then she asked, "Sophie, why are you so nice? No one else would do this for me."

"I don't know," I answered honestly. "Maybe it's because in my old school everyone's friendly. The more popular you are, the nicer. I only know these situations from books."

"Wow." Another moment passed.

"I really don't understand why people have to be so nasty," I said. "If everyone in all the different countries was inspired to be peacemakers, don't you think the world would become a better place?"

"That's some deep thinking."

I shrugged. "It's just my useless social commentary."

"No, I think you're right," Harriette objected. "World peace...it sounds so far away, but we _can _do it. We just have to try."_  
_

**xXx**

After fifth period ended, I found Alfred walking down the empty hallway in front of me and decided to do a little test.

"Hey, America!" I called.

It worked. Alfred glanced behind him. "Huh?"

A wide grin spread across my face. "Gotcha! You can't deny it now!"

His blue eyes grew large and he glared at me. "Jeez, would you cut it out?" he grumbled, looking forward again.

I followed after, squealing. "OMG! This is so cool! You guys actually exist! I mean, if you'd just reveal yourselves, you'd be a world sensation!"

I stopped squealing and frowned, as a sudden thought struck me. "By the way, why is it that no one knows about Hetalia here? I mean, I can't even find it online."

I knew I hit a soft spot when Alfred tensed. After a moment he answered, "I dunno. Maybe there's something wrong with your computer."

I opened my mouth to tell him that there was absolutely nothing wrong with a high tech computer from a rich school like TISA, but he quickly disappeared behind a classroom door and I was left standing alone in the quiet hallway.

**xXx**

Two hours later I was walking out of the school campus, marveling over the amazing events that had occurred.

I'd met so many Hetalia characters. In the durance of a single _day_.

As I waited for the bus, I began to come up with theories in my mind:

1) They were a bunch of whackos that cosplayed so much even their personalities matched the countries.

2) Hetalia was real (I'm rooting for this one. If USUK is cannon, then it means I won the bet between me and Maria over FrUK and USUK).

3) There was something wrong with me. Hopefully not, though.

4) I had somehow ended up in an alternate universe and TISA was really Hetalia World Academy in disguise. Hmm, I should write a fanfic about that.

I was in the middle of thinking up a fifth theory when I heard a girl humming some foreign song.

"OHMYGOD!" I screamed. Because not only did she magically appear _right next_ to me, she also looked exactly like the Hetalia Taiwan. Who was also one of my favorite characters (I just loved Taiwan/Japan), which I'd always wished I could meet in real life.

She stopped humming and gave me a wide smile. "Oh, hi there!" she said brightly. I detected a faint accent in her voice. "I didn't see you right then."

"Uhum," I said intelligently.

"Well, I'm a sophomore at TISA," she went on. "I'm Xiao Mei, but everyone just calls me Mei." Mei gave me her hand to shake. "You must be the new girl!"

"Uhum." I shook her hand gingerly, as if it were made of glass.

Mei studied my face. "Hey, are you okay? You seem a bit off."

"Uhum-I mean, uh, I'm fine. Yes, I'm the new Sophie, student. I mean, I'm the new student, Sophie."

I really hate my mouth sometimes.

She gave me a weird look (I don't blame her). About then the bus arrived, saving me from blurting out something even more idiotic. Mei said she took the second bus, so I gave an awkward wave and hurried on the yellow vehicle.

What a day.

* * *

**Day 2**

The one person you don't want to mess with first thing in the morning is Natalia Markovskaya, aka Belarus, representative of a former Soviet Union nation.

But apparently my luck had run out, because I wasn't looking where I was going on the school campus and accidentally bumped into an older girl, most likely a senior.

And it wasn't an ordinary bump. I just managed to knock all her things to the ground as a bonus, and the coffee in her hand all over her dress.

I was assuming everyone knew her scary personality, because all the passerby stopped to watch us, probably waiting for the New Girl Gets Her Ass Kicked By Scary Russian Senior show to start.

I knew the drill. Her eyes narrowed and darkened; I swore I could literally _see_ the purple aura that surrounded her. I began backing away as she gave me an ultra death glare.

_"Did you do that on purpose?"_ The senior advanced towards me, her face getting angrier by the second.

"Cheeseburgers," I squeaked in a very small voice.

"You will pay for this," she continued, then pointed to her soaked clothes, "and you will buy me a new dress. But before that, I will deal with your puny little neck."

Oh God, why?

"Natalia, leave the girl alone!" a masculine voice said from behind. I thought it was a teacher until he emerged from the crowd of watching bystanders.

God, Switzerland was _hot_. As in smoking hot. I could've described him more, but a certain Belarusian was very close to getting her hands around my neck.

Natalia turned from me to Switzerland/Switzerland lookalike/Hetalia cosplayer, annoyed. "Vash, be quiet. I am punishing the girl here."

"She did not mean to run into you. Just look at her; the poor girl is frightened." His green eyes hardened. "And do you really think this is a good idea?"

Natalia stiffened. Something seemed to strike her, and she stepped away from me.

"I'll let you off this time. But this won't happen again, understand?" She gave me another glare.

I shivered and nodded timidly. Natalia picked up her things, turned on her heel and stalked away from the scene. The other students cashed in their bets (on whether or not I would be murdered)and scattered as well. Then it was just me and Vash.

"Uh...thanks," I said awkwardly, adjusting the straps of my backpack.

"Just go where you're supposed to be," Vash said, already walking away. "The bell will ring soon."

**xXx**

After that unfortunate incident, the day flew by quickly. At lunch, I sat again with Harriette. This time Jenny joined us. She introduced me to her friend Darren, one of the junkies. He offered me a cigarette that I refused politely.

Emily didn't come bother us again. She sat with Alfred at lunch, which really annoyed me because she kept giving me these smirks. Halfway through lunch, I realized that he probably thought she just wanted to "hang out", not make it a serious date, since he kept on calling her "bro or "dude" and asking her if she wanted a burger. I got the feeling Alfred was going to get stood up Saturday night.

I didn't meet anymore Hetalia characters. I'd always thought that I'd scream or faint immediately if I actually met them in real life, but again there was this...this feeling I couldn't quite put my finger on. Something that kept me from believing they were real, or even _know_ who they were at some points. The times when I did know my mind somehow made them seemed almost ordinary.

Which was why after school when I walked right by Estonia I didn't even look at him. I only realized it was him ten minutes later, at the bus stop.

I saw Alfred again as I waited for the bus to come. He said goodbye to one of his friends and left the campus.

As I watched him leave, I was suddenly struck with a wild idea. Alfred walked home. I could easily follow him and figure out the truth. Besides, my parents were going to arrive home late, and since it was Friday, Savansh was sleeping over at one of his friend's houses.

Before I could change my mind, I quietly slipped out the gate and searched for Alfred. Nantucket was easy enough to find. And thus, my mission began.

He made countless turns at selected crossroads and passed the public library, international research center for AIDS, post office, and shopping mall. Sometimes he would disappear into small alleys that weren't there a second ago. Where the heck was his home, anyway?

At last he entered a quiet place in the woods (yes, you heard me, the woods)where a number of houses emerged from behind the trees. They were all so bizarrely diverse from one another. There was a low, flat building built in a typical Japanese style, your average two-story family house, an exquisite house with dragons etched into the walls, and other kinds.

Alfred stopped at an enormous, grand mansion with solid colors: cream, white, varied shades of ocher, dark brown, and a large front door. At the top of the door was a copper plaque that read, "IN GOD WE TRUST," and next to the plaque hung the American flag.

Holy crap. Whoever Alfred was, he was pretty damn rich.

He unlocked the door and went inside. I jumped out from the bush I was hiding behind, dashed to the door and tried it. Unfortunately, it was locked.

I growled in frustration. What was I going to do now?

Think, Sophie, I scolded myself. In the Hetalia series, America had always been a douchebag. He'd probably missed a chink in his armor...

The windows! I ran to the side of the house to check. Sure enough, one of the large glass windows was left unlocked. Squealing silently in glee, I opened it and slipped inside.

The interior was just as grand as the exterior. Heavy curtains were draped across the windows. The floor was a rich brown wood. Against one wall a high-tech stereo system was set up, a 60" ultra thin TV sandwiched in-between. I marveled at the various video games scattered all over the floor: Xbox 360, PSP, Nintendo Wii, Playstation...

"Dude, seriously! That girl knows everything about us." Alfred's voice sounded from another room, probably not far from this one. I crept closer to the source of the voice so I could hear better.

"Shush, keep your voice down. And what do you mean by someone figuring us out? My spell worked bloody well fine the past six months."

I barely stopped a scream of delight from escaping my mouth. That voice belonged to England! In APH!

"Nah, the place is soundproof. Anyway, we're safely hidden in this sanctuary, remember?"

There was a pause, then came England's voice, "I don't know, America. I just have a bad feeling we're not alone."

HE CALLED ALFRED AMERICA!

"I suggest we check the house, just in case," came a new voice.

Was that Germany's voice? Oh my God. This was happening. _This was really happening!_

Wait a minute. Did he say they were going to check the house...?

Uh oh. I began inching slowly towards the window.

"Come on, don't overreact. I triple-checked everything; my house is locked," Alfred said.

"I agree with America," said a voice. Japan.

"Well, alright, then," England said uncertainly. "It's probably just my nerves."

I breathed out a long sigh of relief. That was a close call.

Wrong move. England suddenly stopped talking and there was a silence. He said alarmedly, "What was that?"

I quickly ran to the window, accidentally kicking a CD case. It slid across the wooden floor and crashed against a Nintendo DS.

Shit.

"I definitely heard it this time," England said firmly.

"It's coming from the gaming room," Alfred said. "It can't be them...right?"

I scrambled for the window and tried to push it open. Of all times, it had to be stuck. Why was I such an idiot, closing the window?

"Come on!" Germany yelled. I heard the sound of footsteps approaching the gaming room and began pounding desperately on the window.

Too late. The door flew open and I whirled around.

In front of me were four guys, all of them breathing hard. In the lead was the real life England. His blond hair was just as messy as it was in the anime, his eyebrows just as thick. I could've giggled.

I could've giggled, if his emerald eyes weren't screaming bloody murder.

And then he spoke. Quite angrily, too.

"Who are you and how the bloody hell did you get here?"

* * *

***Thank you for reading. :) A cookie from me if you read the bitchy cheerleader part. **

***And thanks to Geirdriful, my beta, for letting me spam your Google Drive.**

***Hope you enjoyed this long chapter!**

***Like any other writer, I love reviews, favorites, and follows. When I got those three reviews, I literally danced around my room. THANKS AGAIN FOR YOUR SUPPORT! WHO EVER READ THE WHOLE THING IS PRUSSIA.**

***Peace out and see y'all next time!**

**...x Whitlinger x...**


	3. Iggy's House

***Hey there! You're probably surprised to find this up again so soon, so I'll do some explaining. Last night I uploaded a third chapter, but for some reason I couldn't find my story at the top of the page and when I checked it, it only had two chapters. So I uploaded the chapter again. And again. And again. Obviously, I failed. But this morning I received new reviews, follows and favorites, which means this story was at the top of the page but the new chapter wasn't there. Strange, huh? **

*** But anyway, thank you so much for supporting me! I'm happy I have another chapter ready for you guys. I was going to abandon this story (it was just an experiment), but I decided not to. XD**

***And a favor to ask: if you notice Sophie developing any Mary Sue symptoms, please alert me. **

***So...****long chapter. When did I start writing 5000+ word chapters?**

***Enjoy! ^ ^**

* * *

**CHAPTER THREE**

_ 'Why are you here?' England spat bitterly, scowling at the beautiful nation standing before him. 'You've already got your bloody independence, isn't that enough?'_

_ 'I need to tell you something,' Sira said. 'It's extremely important, so...' She looked into his house, a nervous expression plastered on her face. '...can I come in?'_

_ He stared at her for a few seconds before sighing heavily, moving away from the doorway. 'Alright. It's going to rain soon, anyway.'_

_ Cautiously she stepped inside, her heart pounding. Technically they were allies. But they still hated each other, bitter from the long, bloody war still fresh in their minds. Was it really safe?_

_ Sira moved further into the living room, still wary. When nothing seemed suspicious or threatening, she finally sank into England's sofa and waited. He shut the door and sat down across from her. And then he began to wait, too._

_ After a long, awkward silence, Sira finally spoke. 'Someone's after me, England.'_

_ England frowned. 'Who would be after you? No one here can possibly know about us being countries.' _

_ 'I'm not entirely sure,' she said. 'but I've been attacked a couple of times now. Sometimes I get the feeling I'm being followed. And yesterday when I returned home, my room was a mess.'_

_ 'That can't be,' he said. 'I set some spells to hide our location. No one should be able to find us...'_

_ '...unless they follow one of us,' Sira finished. 'It's possible. Your magic isn't perfect.'_

_ England bristled at the comment. 'What do mean, my magic isn't perfect? It's good enough and the only defense we have!'_

_ 'I know, I know.' She sighed. 'My point is, I think they're after the dice. What other reason can there be?' _

_ He stared at her. 'You think they're after the dice.' _

_ She nodded. 'Almost positive.' _

_ 'Which is absolutely of no use to anyone in this world.' _

_ 'It's possible!' Sira insisted. 'And I have a solid theory on why we even ended up here. Please, just...listen.' _

_ England hesitated, then nodded. _

_ Sira leaned forward. 'Here's what might have happened...' _

_ Her idea was insane, England believed, as he listened. Yet after she was done, all the pieces seemed to click into place. _

_ 'That's...crazy,' he said. 'Are you sure you can find it on your own?'_

_ 'It's my country, after all,' she answered. 'It'll just take a few days. I'll go alone.'_

_ England was still uncomfortable about the idea, but it was her country and he didn't really have a choice. 'Alright, if you're so certain.'_

_ Sira nodded, then said, 'Well, I need to leave now. Thanks for hearing me out.'_

_ 'Wait,' he said, as she stood. 'Why did you come to me, of all people?'_

_ 'Because I can trust you,' she replied, surprising him. But then her eyes narrowed. 'I'm not asking to be your friend, if that's what you're thinking.'_

_ 'Of course not,' he retorted, annoyed with her for mentioning the possibility. 'Anyway, I really hope you're right. All of us have waited far too long.'_

_ 'We have,' she said quietly, and left, leaving the house empty and quiet as before._

**xXx**

**Day 2: Later**

Have you ever been in a situation where you feel like you need to fill up the tense silence, yet you don't know what to say? And you're afraid to open your mouth because you might babble something that'll make everything worse?

Well. Let's just say that's exactly what it was like when four protagonists from my favorite anime caught me red-handed snooping in their house.

I stared into the green eyes of our favorite Brit, my cheeks flaring. Oh God, what was I going to do?

_Do something!_ my brain screamed at my mouth.

_Tell us what to do, _my mouth told it.

My brain was silent.

"Um...look, butterfly!" I pointed at a random spot in the air, planning to escape while they were distracted. They just stared at me like I was a lunatic.

Okay, so maybe that wasn't going to work.

_Think, Sophie. Think think think think think think think think_

"I know you're countries," I blurted.

Shit. That was _not_ what was supposed to come out of my mouth.

England's eyes widened. "W-What...?"

My mouth betrayed me. "You're all characters from Hetalia! And you can't deny it because I overheard you guys talking. And England, which I assume is your name, you called 'Alfred' America."

They all gaped at me except for Alfred, who said in an annoyed tone, "You _again_?"

"Yes, me," I said, offended. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"How did you-" England began, but Germany cut him off.

"This is all just a misunderstanding," the German nation said smoothly, shocking me. "I believe we were just cosplaying the Hetalia characters, as any fans would do."

"But that's...that's..." I struggled to find the appropriate word.

"Ridiculous?" he finished. "No, we're just telling the truth. I assume you're also an avid fangirl. Is it Spain you're 'mentally dating'? Or perhaps 'Iggy?'"

I noticed that England's face flushed at the last part. That counted for something, right?

"Prove it," I demanded, but a little uncertainly.

"We don't want to reveal our deepest cosplaying secrets to a stranger," Germany answered.

Argh. "Why not?"

"Because we're going attend the next annual cosplaying competition," he said without even hesitating, "and you might steal our idea."

I really didn't know what to say to that. Maybe_ I_ was the wrong one. Maybe everyone here was sane but me. How could Hetalia even exist? It was just something created by a normal Japanese artist, nothing more. All of a sudden, I couldn't even remember why I believed it in the first place.

I was such an idiot.

"I'm sorry for trespassing," I muttered finally, my eyes on the floor. "Well...good luck in the competition."

With that, I turned away from the cosplayers, opened the window (I'd forgotten to take off the latch, which was why it didn't open earlier), jumped outside and ran home as fast as I could.

**xXx**

There are a number of ways you can tell when something very bad had happened in your own house, and one of them is finding that your little brother had left all the ice cream in the fridge untouched (the other is finding that your cat has somehow left the entire house fur-free).

Savansh has always had a total sweet tooth. He can eat ten packs of gummy bears in a row, and has a gross habit of pouring ten pounds of sugar in his cereal. So it was pretty weird when the small cup of vanilla ice cream sitting in the freezer hadn't even been opened. I didn't think much about this, however, and just took the summer treat out for myself to enjoy.

In the living room, all the curtains had been put down, which was strange since my mom liked to let sunlight into the house. Ice cream in hand, I made my way to the couch.

Then I felt cold metal against the back of my head.

"Don't move," a harsh voice whispered.

I stood, frozen, barely stopping a scream from escaping my mouth. My heart was pounding so hard I could hear it pulsing in my ears.

"Very good," the voice said. "Now, put down the ice cream and sit."

The gun still pointed to my head, I slowly set the ice cream down, wild escape plans running through my mind.

It was now or never. I whirled around and kicked him in the crotch as hard as I could. A shot rang out, shattering the window across the room. Ducking low, I sprinted to the kitchen and grabbed a cutting knife, holding it in front of me like a weapon.

And then my attacker emerged. He was wearing a black mask that covered his entire head except for his eyes and a slit for him to breath. But really, I paid more attention to the sleek black gun in his hand.

I don't know why, but suddenly the Hetalia ending song started playing in my head.

_Hey, hey Papa! _  
_Give me some wine! _  
_Hey, hey Mama!_  
_Hey, hey Mama!_  
_I can't get the taste of _  
_That bolognese that I ate out of my head!_

Wonderful. I was going to get my fucking brains blown out while Italy screamed for pasta in my head.

My attacker advanced towards me, eyes emotionless and cold. My fingers were shaking so badly I almost dropped my knife. I inched backwards until my back was pressed against the kitchen counter.

"Tell me where the teleporter is," he ordered. "Now!"

"I don't know what you're talking about," I said in a tiny voice. "S-Stay away from me!"

He aimed his gun towards my left thigh and fired. Immense pressure hit my leg and I collapsed, the knife skittering out of my fingers. I looked down at my thigh...then looked away.

Oh God. There was so much blood.

I am sorry to say that I _did _cry, that I did not stay calm like the heroines in books do and wait serenely for my death. When my attacker moved right in front of me and wrapped his fingers around my neck, I screamed.

I tried to pry his hands off, but he had an iron grip. I wheezed for air, certain I was going to die. And still Italy sang on:

_Draw a circle, that's the Earth!_  
_Draw a circle that's the Earth!_

Strangely, the music was getting louder and louder in my head, until I almost believed Italy _was _singing right next to me.

_DRAW A CIRCLE, THAT'S THE EARTH!_  
_DRAW A CIRCLE, THAT'S THE EARTH!_

From that second on, everything happened in a blur. The man coughed blood on me and loosened his grasp on my neck. There was the sound of gunshots and the slashing of a blade. Then the pain became too overwhelming and I passed out, the Hetalia song finally coming to an end.

**xXx**

**Day 2: Time Unknown**

_Let's go crazy, crazy, crazy till we see the sun_

Ugh...I hated that song...

_I know we only met but let's pretend it's love_

_And never, never, never stop for anyone_

"Someone...shut it off..." I groaned.

Thankfully, the music stopped. Ah..the bed felt so soft...

Wait a minute. What exactly was I doing in bed? And why was a 1D song playing? I never listened to One Direction.

I sat up in panic and winced at the pain in the back of my head. Where exactly was I? The room I was in looked completely unfamiliar. It was way too nice to be my room.

"So you've finally woken," came a voice with a distinct British accent right next to me. I twisted around and saw a guy with blond hair, green eyes and fuzzy eyebrows sitting on the edge of the bed. He didn't look happy.

"AH! What are you doing here?" I shrieked. "Get out of my room! GET OUT!"

I then attempted to push him off the bed, but either I was very weak or he was very fat. I hoped it was the latter.

He looked angry. "This is _my _room, you bloody...ah, never mind. The point is, you're awake."

I squinted my eyes at him. "Wait a sec...you're that England cosplayer, aren't you? What am I doing in your room?"

"I'm not a cosplayer," he said.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"I said, I'm not a cosplayer," he repeated. I simply gawked at him. He stared back.

Then I laughed, a bit forcefully. "What are you, then? A pig?"

For some reason I found that extremely hilarious and couldn't stop laughing. I mean, just think about it: a pig with eyebrows. Enormous, _fuzzy _eyebrows.

By the time I had gotten over my laughing fit, he had developed an extremely annoyed, slightly red face.

"Okay." I took a deep breath. "So, why am I here again?"

"Japan rescued you," he said flatly. "You were about to be killed."

"You mean Japan's cosplayer," I corrected him.

"No, I mean Japan."

I threw my hands up in exasperation. "What the hell? You deny you guys are personifications, and now when I believe you're just cosplayers, you say you're not?"

"It's complicated," he said. The guy-England, whatever-took a cup from the nightstand and began pouring himself some tea from a teapot. I glared at him, waiting. A silence passed between us.

"By the way, that was a One Direction song playing," he remarked, sipping from his cup.

"I know that," I snapped.

"Don't you like them? They're very popular British singers, you know." He sounded quite proud.

"I'm sick of that song. They play it way too much on the radio."

England/the cosplayer looked offended. "They do have some nice songs. Anyway, I am England, _the _England, alright? Not some bloody cosplayer. Those gits always make my hair look a mess."

It _was _a mess, but I decided not to point this out. "Can you prove it, then?" I asked skeptically.

"I hate doing this," he muttered. He set down his teacup and began tugging on his eyebrows with his fingers. "See? They're genuine. It isn't a cosplaying item."

I couldn't stop myself. The sight of him tugging on those enormous, caterpillar eyebrows sent me into a fit of giggles.

"Give me...a minute," I gasped. I took a few breaths and sank back into the pillows. Ah, the softness.

He gave me a glare before continuing. "And if you want more proof," England/the psycho cosplayer rolled up his sleeves, "look at this." He held out his palm. A few seconds later, a green flame burst to life in the middle of his palm.

The flame shot out of his hand and off towards the large wooden wardrobe in the corner.

"Fuck!" He jumped up and chased after the flame. "Bloody hell, why does this _always _happen? We had an agreement! GET BACK HERE YOU WANKER!"

He chased the flame around, green eyes blazing with fury. At last, when it stopped on the window sill, he dove for it and caught it in his hands.

He came back to me, panting. "I hope that's proof enough," he said, extinguishing the fire. He sat back on to the edge of the bed, giving me an expectant look. "Well?"

I was speechless. Had I just...did I just see..._magic_? Real, actual magic? I pinched my arm to make sure I wasn't dreaming.

"Um...can I see your hand?" I asked, then realized how stupid that sounded. "Just to check, I guess."

He offered it to me. I checked both sides, expecting to find some kind of special gadget I could blame the magic on.

I noticed a tiny, crescent shaped scar located near his thumb, but that was it.

I released his hand, suddenly feeling weak. "So...you're real," I said, still not quite believing it.

"You don't look convinced," he observed, frowning. Then his eyes brightened and something seemed to strike him. "Oh, right, I forgot to lift the spell."

He muttered something under his breath, and that was when I could _finally _see what was happening before my eyes, without any of that cloudy stuff clogging up my brain.

It was like my senses had been enhanced. Everything suddenly became sharper, clearer, and more real.

And thus, I began behaving like how every fangirl does when their dream just came true.

I let out a shriek of delight. "OMG! HETALIA IS REAL!" I was vaguely aware of the idiotic grin on my face. "It's real! It's not just an anime! IGGY EXISTS! So, are you like, an item with America? You guys are sooo cute together!"

England choked on his tea. "_What_?"

"If FrUK is canon, I am going to die of horror," I continued. "You know, they even pair you with Seychelles sometimes. I think that one's okay, but USUK still pwns all. Oh God...don't tell me AusHun is canon. Hungary deserves to be with Prussia! I mean, at least he treats her as an equal. By the way, I've always wondered...is China a girl or a guy?"

Judging by the look England was giving me, I'm guessing he probably didn't want to answer any of my questions.

"I am not _gay_," he asserted, after a few seconds of coughing. "China is 100% male. Well, 85%. And no, I will nevereven _think _about hooking up with America. The very thought of it..." He shuddered. "In fact, there are no romantic relationships between countries."

I think he just broke my heart into a million tiny pieces.

"No...pairings?" I managed in a small voice.

"No," England confirmed. I think he sensed how devastated I was, because he sighed and added, "Fine. There _are _a few out there..."

I perked up again. "Really? Please please please please _please _tell me there's GerIta! Or at least Ameripan, if USUK really isn't canon."

"There aren't any homosexual couples," England said. "But we all know that Japan and Liechtenstein have something going."

"Japan and...and _Liechtenstein_?" I sputtered. "But...but that's just...I mean, Japan should be with Taiwan! Or Greece, or Turkey..."

"What place do you have to decide our love lives?" England said in an annoyed tone.

"You have a love life?" I asked innocently.

He scowled at me, then sighed heavily, rubbing his temples. "Argh, you're impossible. But enough chit chat. We need to get down to business."

I sat up in bed and waited patiently.

"We brought you here," he said, "because one, you're resistant to my spell and two, you have something important."

I was confused. "You mean, that thingamajig you just removed? And how do you know I have something important?"

"You wouldn't have been attacked," England pointed out. "They came after you for a reason."

Remembering the man with the gun made my heart speed up. "Okay, back up a few steps," I said, because none of what he was saying was making any sense. "Who's 'they?'"

"'They' is basically people after a special item of ours," he explained. "The whole thing is quite complicated, so we'll discuss it after dinner."

"Dinner," I echoed warily. If this was England's house...

"The other thing is, you weren't affected by my spell," he continued, interrupting my thoughts. I wanted everyone that had nothing to do with our mission to forget Hetalia ever existed when they set foot in Sira. But you still knew who we were."

"I see," was all I could say.

"Therefore, either something went wrong in the spell or you're somehow important to us." He didn't sound like he believed what he was saying.

"Maybe you messed up," I offered. "Or maybe they had mistaken me for someone else."

"No, I spent months perfecting that spell. And I don't think they would make a mistake." He got up from the bed. "We should go down now. Can you get up?"

I lifted myself with my hands. "Sure, no pr-" A sharp pain traveled down my left leg and I winced, falling back onto the bed. I'd forgotten about the bullet wound.

"I'll help you," he said, almost flatly, leaning towards me and holding out his arms.

My face turned few shades of dark red. "N-No, it's fine! Just...do you have some sort of walking stick I can use?"

To my relief, England dropped his arms, standing up straight again. I think _he _also looked relieved. "I'll see what I can find," he said, heading towards his mahogany wardrobe. He rummaged through the inside, finally coming up with a wooden cane.

He handed it to me and I accepted it gratefully. I gritted my teeth, slowly swung my legs off the bed and stood shakily, leaning heavily on the walking stick. Looking down, I noticed my leg had been cleaned and wrapped in gauze.

"Can you walk?" he asked uncertainly.

I took a few wobbly steps forward. "I think I can manage."

"Alright, then." He opened the door and I walked-or more like hobbled-out. I followed England down a hallway, dragged myself down the stairs, and arrived in his living room.

It was maybe three or four times the size of _my _living room in Spain, and a whole lot grander. The furniture all looked like they were made in Britain, and the faint smell of something burnt lingered in the air.

What I first noticed, however, was not the room itself, but the people occupying it. I recognized them immediately: America, Germany, Japan, Italy, and France. America was flipping through channels on England's TV, an incredibly bored look plastered on his face. Germany was teaching Japan how to play Western chess, and France was chatting with Italy about...well, something that included "squeezing" and "pulling" and "stroking gently." To be honest, I really didn't want to know the details.

They all looked up as I entered. Suddenly I felt silly, with my stupid stick and awkward limp. This wasn't exactly how I imagined I would meet the Hetalia characters.

"Hi," I said meekly.

Italy jumped up. "Hi there, _ragazza_**(1)**!" he said cheerfully, approaching me and wrapping me in a bone-crushing hug. He let go and smiled excitely. "Do you want big brother France to teach you how to-"

"I'll pass," I said quickly. "But wow! You're Italy, right?"

"Yup! The land of pasta, pizza and passion!" (Amazing. Fucking amazing.)

"Hey, Sophie," America greeted me without taking his eyes off the screen. Germany acknowledged me with a curt nod, Japan bowed his head, and France blew me a kiss.

"How did you know my name?" I asked America.

"Come on, everyone's talking about you at school," he said. "And Iggy, your channels suck ass. I mean, some of this stuff doesn't even make sense! Like this one: something about a doctor traveling through time in a police box saving humans from overweight Martians with boobs planning to overthrow the financial market-"

"DO NOT INSULT DOCTOR WHO IN FRONT OF ME YOU WANKER!" England roared.

"Okay fine, maybe that one isn't so bad," America said. "But cooking shows, dude?"

France looked up in horror. "C-Cooking shows?"

England's face was red. "Shut up. None of you can appreciate true entertainment."

"Hey, since we're talking about TV shows, I know a good one!" Italy said. "It's called Italian Stripping Housewives and it came out in the 1980s. Basically, two couples competed with each other. The wives would ask their husbands questions, and for each right answer the wives would take off a piece of clothing. And the winner was whoever was the first to take off her br-"

"Italy," Germany cut in, "this fanfic is rated PG-13."

"Oh...sorry."

"That show sounds simply splendid!" France said delightfully. "Oh Italy, I am so proud of you for such an accomplishment!"

The whole time they were talking, I was standing there grinning like an idiot, trying to hold in my giggles. Which I completely failed at.

"What are you laughing about?" America asked curiously.

"Oh, nothing," I said, grinning.

"C'mon, let me in on the joke."

"It's just that..." My voice faltered as I suddenly remembered something important I had to do.

"I need to call my parents!" I gasped. "And...and Savansh...is he..."

"He's safe," England assured me, "but you can use the phone in the study. Down the hallway, third door on the right."

I nodded gratefully and walked-hobbled-off. _Wow...that was weird. Fantastically weird._

After what seemed like a million years, I finally made my way to said study. The room was large, but cozy, with soft lights and maroon curtains. Two bookshelves packed with books were pushed against one wall. In the middle of the room, on England's desk, a neatly stacked pile of papers sat next a black pen holder and laptop. A Sherlock Holmes novel lay open at page 271, and on top of the book was a leather-bound journal. At the corner of his desk was a telephone.

I picked up the receiver and dialed Savansh's cell, literally shaking with anxiety. If he didn't pick up...

After the third ring, I heard a click. "Hello?"

A kid's voice. "Um, may I speak to Savansh Dupont?" I asked. "This is his sister."

"Okay, wait." A few seconds later, I heard my brother's voice, "Hi, sis. Whatcha calling for?"

I nearly collapsed with relief. "Oh God, I was so worried. Where are you right now?"

"Uh, Danny's house? And no, the house didn't explode, if that's what you're worried about."

"Listen, Savansh. A few..." I checked the clock on the wall, "...a few hours ago, I was attacked by an intruder in our house. Right now I'm at a, um, friend's house figuring some stuff out. So just be careful, okay?"

Savansh was quiet for a moment. Then he said, "Okay. What am I telling Mom?"

"I'll call her." I let out a shaky breath. "Just...stay safe. Don't go anywhere."

"Aw, shucks. I was going to go drug the neighbor's dog. You know how some stuff makes dogs fart like crazy?"

"Savansh!"

"Kidding, geez. I _did_ feed it some beans-"

"Savansh, stop joking," I said, but I knew he always talked a lot when he was nervous. "I need to go now."

"Bye." He paused. "You're coming home, right?" he asked in a small voice.

I smiled. "Yeah, I think so. Take care, then."

"Okay." He hung up. I listened to the dial tone, then punched in my mom's number. When she didn't pick up, I left a voicemail.

"Hey, Mom. This is Sophie. I don't think I'm coming home for dinner, because I'm eating at a friend's house. Sorry for the short notice. I'll be home soon..."

"You might need to stay for the weekend," came a voice from behind.

I jumped and whirled around, my heart pounding. England was standing in the doorway. He smelled like burnt English pastries. God, why did he just appear out of nowhere?

I glowered at him, then continued recording, "Actually, I think I might stay at her place until next Monday. Um...she's a friend I made at school, so you don't need to worry. Also, be careful, because I think someone broke into our house." I wasn't going to tell her I was there yet; she'd freak. "Well, I'll call again soon. Love you."

I pressed send and set the phone down. Then I turned to face England. "So why exactly am I staying here overnight?"

"You might know some vital information," he replied tonelessly. "We can't risk letting you go."

Did he have to be so _cold_? We'd already met and talked for at least half an hour by now, yet he didn't even bother to ask my name. In the OC fanfics I read online, he'd always been kind and gentlemanly to the main character, calling them "love" and "pet" and all those names.

But this was so different. It was like he was forced to talk to me or something. I swallowed and nodded, my eyes on the floor, then grabbed my walking stick and walked-hobbled-past him.

"Just so you know," I said, as nonchalantly as I could manage, "my name is Sophie. But I guess that's not really important to your 'mission.'"

With that, I left the study, disappointment swelling in my chest.

**xXx**

I know, I know; I was lucky. I can't deny that fact. I mean, I'd met the countries. In real life. That doesn't happen everyday, does it?

Well. On with the story. So, after that little scene, I realized I was starving, from the constant growling my stomach was emitting.

After I left the study, I went back to the living room. France and Italy were gone; they were probably cooking something delicious in the kitchen. America had left as well.

It was weird just standing there in the middle of the room, so I sunk into England's sofa next to Japan and watched the two nations play.

"If I move my pawn over here, then there is a good chance for it to become a queen," Germany was explaining. "So, Japan, you must find a way to either kill it off or risk losing."

"I see," Japan said thoughtfully. He stared at the chessboard for a few seconds, then brought one of his rooks forward, a rare smile forming on his lips. "Is this alright?"

The German nation was astounded. "That was a brilliant move, Japan. You must be a natural at Western chess."

Japan blushed. "Arigato."

_Fine_, I thought, as Germany moved his pawn to its death. _Just fine. Ignore me, then. I don't care._

I was beginning to feel homesick and miserable when Japan turned to me and asked concernedly, "Does your bullet wound still hurt? You were injured quite severely in the attack."

I was startled. "I feel fine," I answered quickly, then remembered something England mentioned. "Um...thank you for saving me."

"It was my duty," Japan replied. He gestured towards the chessboard. "Would you like to play a round with Germany? This game is very interesting."

I was about to reject him kindly (he was being so polite, I couldn't help but do the same), but something made me change my mind...maybe the fact that chess was one of the only things I was good at. Instead, I smirked. "Alright. I don't think Germany can beat me, though; I'm _way _too awesome to lose."

"You sound like my bruder," Germany grumbled. "Very well, then. Let us begin."

**xXx**

In the end, I tied with Germany. I was about to challenge Japan to a match when a very loud, very girly scream was heard from the kitchen.

"ANGELETERRE!" I heard France screech. "_What did you put in my soup?" _

"There's no need to yell," came England's voice. He sounded quite calm. "I just added a pinch of salt, some mashed beans and a bit of haggis. It improves the flavor."

_That explains the odor, _I thought.

"You _ruined_ it," France moaned. "Now I have to start over. We'll never have a proper dinner with you hanging around."

"There is absolutely nothing wrong with my cooking, you twat!" England said angrily. I stifled a giggle.

"Guys, don't fight!" I heard Italy say frantically. He yelped. "AAH! What died in the oven?"

"I think I should go help out," Japan said. "Please excuse me..." He stood and hurried to the kitchen.

That left just Germany and me. "Well," I said.

Germany sighed, looking very worn out. "It happens all the time. Those two will never learn to get along."

I sighed, too and tried to look despondent, but my brain flooded with mental images of France and England strangling each other and a laugh escaped my lips. I masked it with a cough.

About then my stomach growled and I realized how hungry I was. Germany heard (how embarassing is that?) it and said, "I suppose it's time for dinner, assuming Japan succeeded in his mission."

And so we went to the dining room. Germany began setting the table ( and cleaning the windows for no apparent reason). Out of curiosity, I stepped into the kitchen.

I wish I hadn't. The place was in complete chaos. A certain Brit and a certain Frenchman were beating each other up, which meant flying plates, spills, a frantic Japan and a very, _very _freaked-out Italy.

Italy, who was cowering in the corner, caught sight of me and cried, "Help meee!"

Oh gee, this was going to be hard. "Stop fighting!" I shouted, waving my arms. "France, uh...put down that plate! And you, England, let go of that pan!"

It was no use. I stood there helplessly as they continued their battle, smashing more tableware and hurling random food. At one point they both turned to Japan and demanded, "Who's the superior here?"

Japan was very flustered at the question. I couldn't blame him. "I...I think you two are equal..."

"You think_ I_ am the equivalent of this bloody frog?" England said furiously.

"Who are you calling frog?" said France defiantly. "At least my food isn't like that disgusting slop of yours!"

"Why, you-"

"STOP THIS NONSENSE IMMEDIATELY ARU!" The real-life version of China charged in with his hundred-pound wok, which he waved dangerously at the two fighting nations.

"Eep!" France shrunk away from the pan. England did the same.

"You two are acting like children, aru," China scolded. "_I'll _make dinner, end of discussion."

China didn't look _that _much like a woman, really. I mean, you could tell he had muscles, considering the fact that he could handle that huge wok without any problems.

France was the first to gather himself. He brushed himself off, smoothed out his hair and asked, "Are you sure you can handle everything without my help?"

England was giving France a death glare, so Japan said hurriedly, "I will help China, so you can go rest. You must be very tired from all the hard work."

"At least _someone _understands my feelings," France said, leaving the kitchen. "Italy! Come with me, I'll teach you a few more tricks."

"Okey dokey!" Italy jumped up and bounced after France. That left England, China, Japan and me.

"Well, my scones are done," England said, opening the oven. He took out a...well, something shapeless and greenish-gray.

"I'll take care of that, aru," China said, snatching the tray of thingalings from England. "You can go find Éguó**(2)**."

He was about to protest, but apparently thought better of it. Grumbling something about frogs and bloody Russians under his breath, England left the kitchen.

In the sudden silence, my stomach decided to give off a loud grumble, embarassing me yet _again._

**xXx**

Somehow, China and Japan finished preparing all the food (and cleaning up the mess)in under twenty minutes. I still don't know how they managed it. England's scones went straight to the trashcan, and sadly, as well as France's ruined soup.

In the end we had Italian pizza, fried noodles, sushi and _melon au jambon de bayonne_, a French appetizer I had ten helpings of. It was the strangest meal I had ever had in my life, and the best. If only there wasn't a downside.

I don't know which one's worse: sitting next to Russia or France.

If you think 2D Russia is scary, then you haven't seen the worst of it. Trust me, 3D Russia is a zillion times creepier. It wasn't helping that a certain Frenchman's hand kept creeping up my shirt.

The third time it happened, I stabbed his hand with my fork. I'm sorry to say that his scream was very, very satisfying.

"Become one with Mother Russia, da?" Russia whispered, his scarf moving of its own accord to wrap around my arm. I shuddered and shook my head.

Russia looked disappointed, but he said,"You will change your mind," and thankfully removed his scarf.

So basically, these were the seating arrangements: England and France couldn't sit next each other (or across), so I was sandwiched between them. China didn't want to sit next to Russia, so Russia sat between England and me. On the other side was Italy, China and Japan. Germany sat at the head of the table, which was probably why there were no major arguments.

After the meal, everyone headed for the living room. Only then did I realize someone was missing.

"Where's America?" I asked, as I quickly claimed the most comfortable-looking spot in the room.

"He's out on a date with a girl from school," Italy answered me cheerfully. "Maybe they'll get to first base tonight!"

"Oh," I said. I don't know why, but I felt sort of...disappointed, I guess. Who knew he'd actually go with that airhead?

"Is everyone here?" England asked, standing at the front of the room. "There should be 8, not including the hamburger idiot."

Germany did a quick headcount and frowned. "Someone's missing."

"Are you sure?" England asked. "I can't think of anyone who isn't here."

Dear Lord, it happened in real life, too. I raised my hand and said, "Um... this is just a guess, but he wouldn't happen to be Canada, would he?"

England snapped his fingers. "That's it! We're missing Canadia!"

Right on cue, the doorbell rang. "What's the password?" he called.

A moment later, the answer came, "'_The British are special. The world knows it. In our innermost thoughts we know it. This is the greatest nation on Earth.'_ Said by Tony Blair."

"Why, thank you for the compliment," England said, sounding pleased. France groaned. The English nation shot him a dirty look and went to unlock the door. "Password accepted. Thank you for coming, er...Canadia."

The personification of Canada stepped in. "I'm so sorry I'm late," he cried. "My brother switched my maple syrup with tabasco sauce and I had to remake dinner. Did I miss anything important?"

"No, we haven't started yet," England said. "You can take a seat next to Sophie."

I felt a little better knowing that he had remembered my name. Canada approached me and sat down in the armchair on my right. "Hi," he said in that soft voice of his, and smiled. "You must be Sophie."

"Yeah, and you're Canada," I said. "Um, this might sound weird, but can I touch Kumajirou?"

"Oh...sure! Here, you can hold him." Canada gently lifted the white bear and placed him in my arms. Kuma was so soft and cuddly I rubbed his face against my cheek.

"Ow...who are you?" Kuma asked. "And look, that person with the big eyebrows there is talking. Maybe we should listen."

He was right; England had begun speaking. "I'll start tonight's meeting by going over everything for our guest, Sophie, which I'm sure you have all met."

Everyone's heads turned to me and I gave a cheerful little wave.

"Most of the countries in this world have personifications, but we live in another world, known to our fans here as the 'Hetalia world.' Sometimes when major events happen, such as war or catastrophes, we travel here to set things right or figure out what's going on, using a pair of glass dice."

My stomach twisted and I found myself remembering the girl I had met in Spain and her question.

_'Do you happen to be in possession of a pair of glass dice? They each have six sides and red dots, and sort of glow in the dark...'_

_ Get yourself together, Sophie, _I scolded myself. _It's probably just some kind of crazy coincidence. _

"These dice allow us to travel between the two worlds," England continued. "However, when something major happens in one world, the dice will fall to that world and bring us along with it. Which obviously is a huge problem."

I swallowed. "What...what happens if you stay in this world permanently?"

"Each world has an amount of power that balances the two sides," he said. "It's like a seesaw. If the power on one side is too great, the two sides become unbalanced. And when that happens, either world will die."

"So that means, if you don't return to your world..."

"Earth will most likely perish. There've been quite a lot of natural disasters lately, and people have begun believing in a world apocalypse arriving in December 2012. And the hurricanes in New York, earthquakes and tsunamis in the east...those are most likely caused by this world's power going out of control."

I looked down, suddenly finding it hard to breathe. _Damn it. Why did I have to pick it up that day?_

"Sophie, is something wrong?"

I looked up. England was giving me a concerned look, but I could see the suspicion underneath. "I..."

My cellphone rang and I jumped. "Uh, sorry," I said, relieved to have a distraction. "Excuse me for a sec..." I brought it out of my pocket and pressed answer. "Hello?"

"Hey, Sophie! Did you watch the news?"

"Jen? What about the news?"

Jenny gave me my answer. My eyes widened in shock and I almost dropped the cellphone. "W-What? That can't be! But why?"

"They don't know yet, but they're investigating...oh sorry, I have to go. My mom's calling me. I'll see you tomorrow!"

She hung up and I set my phone down, unable to process what I'd just heard.

"What's wrong?" Germany asked me, sensing my shock. "Did something happen?"

I turned to the nations. "America's going to be stood up tonight," I said shakily. "Emily was murdered."

* * *

**(1) ragazza: young**** lady**

**(2) Éguó: Russia**

* * *

***And that's the third chapter. This one was a total biotch to write.**

***But breaking the fourth wall was quite fun. :D**

***So, I think you all know what the OC pairing in this story is going to be now...**

***Thank you for reading! And thank you even more if you read all 7000 words! Please leave a comment about what you thought, it would mean a lot to me. See you all next time! :)**

**...x Whitlinger x...**


	4. Macaroni, Milk Tea and Magic

***Hi, guys. I'm back again. Thank you for the positive response, by the way!**

** *Hmm. For some reason, I'm not satisfied with this chapter. Well, I'll just wait for your opinions. :) **

***I love you guys. Seriously. **

***Enjoy your read!**

CHAPTER FOUR

* * *

**Day 2: Evening**

It isn't everyday a girl who goes to your school and mocked your lunch friend in front of everyone in the cafeteria is murdered the very same day, and the reason is most likely because of yourself. And it isn't everyday it's the countries of your world personified explaining why the shit that happened to you ever since you arrived in your nation was not because of bad luck, and _not_ because your cat secretly cursed you to get revenge for kicking him that one time when you were in preschool.

I sat back in my chair and waited for my brain to digest the info. It didn't.

"I know it is a lot to take in—" England began.

"Are you kidding?" I interrupted, unable to stop the fear and anger in my voice. "You just told me I murdered a cheerleader!"

"Not directly," he said. "But yes, she was probably tortured by them so they could obtain information about you."

"Who's 'them?' Why are they after me? Do I look like some kind of freaking Chosen One? Because I'm not going to play your games!" I was hysterical by then.

"We are not playing any 'games,' Sophie." England said this so coldly I found myself suddenly speechless. I sat back in my seat meekly.

America hadn't arrived yet. He was still stuck somewhere in traffic, but he'd already learned about Emily's death from England. I don't know how he took the news.

England continued, "The enemy we are talking about is likely another nation and their people. We're not exactly sure, but we know that they're after the dice." England focused his emerald eyes on me. "So please, tell us what you know."

I didn't want to get myself into this mess. I wished that some other little girl had picked up the dice, and some other girl had decided to move to the wrong place at the wrong time. What I wanted was to pretend I'd never met these nations, pack my bags and go back to Spain.

But did I really have a choice?

Well, it wasn't that bad. There were no vampires involved, I wasn't destined to destroy some evil villain and I was human, as far as I knew- not a witch, not the daughter of some god, not a Guardian of a parallel world. Just human.

"When I was six," I said, "I found a pair of dice in stream next to my house. It was really pretty, so I began wearing it around as a necklace. A week later, my parents had a fight. My dad just kind of left in the middle of the night." I cleared my throat. "So, anyway, I ran after him and got lost. My mom didn't tell me, but there'd been this serial killer lurking around. I was wandering around when I heard a gunshot and felt myself flying backwards. When I looked up, a figure was running away. Not much later, someone found me and took me home."

My leg had begun to throb and I winced at the pain. "There was a hole in my shirt in the shape of a bullet, so my mom freaked out and checked me for injuries. The bullet was there, but it was wedged in my necklace so it didn't harm me. After that, the dice became my lucky charm."

There was a moment of silence as my story sunk it. It sounded more interesting than it actually was. Really, those were only vague memories; some details came from my mom.

"That's an interesting story," England said, and some countries nodded in agreement. "Where is it now, then?"

That was the problem. I didn't _know _where it was. "Actually, I..."

The pain in my leg intensified and my head began to swim. Black splotches spotted my vision, and the sound of someone shouting was the last thing I could remember.

**xXx**

**Day 3 **

I woke up to the smell of macaroni and cheese. And boy, do I love mac 'n' cheese.

Ahh. The pillows were heaven. The covers were so smooth they felt like water. I closed my eyes and decided to continue sleeping and ignore the sound of a second person moving around in the room...

A second person. In my room.

My eyes shot open and I sat up. Oh, great. Like I had dreaded, this wasn't my room. Which meant that yesterday wasn't a dream. Which meant that Hetalia was real.

Which meant that England hated me for a reason I couldn't understand and I happened to lose the one item that could save the world.

Life really sucks sometimes.

"Oh, you're up," a voice said. "Do you have a thing for mac 'n' cheese? It's kind of the only thing I have to eat right now."

I started and looked around the room until I saw him. America was standing on a chair under the heavy curtains, a wrench in his hand and a black toolbox on the windowsill. He noticed my expression and quickly assured me, "Don't worry, I wasn't trying anything. I just came in to fix the curtain rail."

"So...I'm at your house?" I asked.

"Yup. It's awesome, huh?"

It _was _awesome. I'd been here before once, but that time I was too busy trying to stay hidden to take a good look at my surroundings. The bedroom was grand in that American way, with bold colors and modern furniture and designs.

But you could tell some of the stuff was clearly broken. Like that crack in the wall, the table with uneven legs, the slightly lopsided pendant lights...and the curtain rail.

"Your economy's declining," I said.

America made a face. "Why does everyone have to remind me? It's not like I haven't noticed or anything." He stepped down from the chair. "Well, that's done. You feeling okay?"

I moved the covers and swung my legs off the bed. "Yeah, I think so. What happened last night?"

"You suddenly passed out in the middle of saying something," he answered, opening the curtains to let sunlight in. "I dunno why. Maybe all that world-apocalypse stuff was too much to take in."

I got up and grabbed my walking stick, which was leaning against the wall next to the bed. "I don't know," I said. "It's just...nothing like this ever happened to me before."

"Everything will be over before you know it," he said, and grinned.

I'd believed him then. How wrong he was.

**xXx**

The macaroni was delicious. It was a soft butter yellow color and all gooey with cheese, just the way mac 'n' cheese should be. I was tempted to ask for a second helping, but I was afraid I'd eat up all his macaroni.

"Hey, you wanna play some videogames after you're done?" America asked me, stepping into the dining room. He'd been in the gaming room setting up new games. "God of War: Ascension was released just yesterday."

I stirred my macaroni. "Aren't you supposed to be working on your mission?"

He rolled his eyes. "That's only England. He's been freaking out about this since we came."

"But the world's going to end. And everyone will die, including you guys."

"That's why they say enjoy life while it lasts. So, you up for a game or two?"

I finished the last of the cheese, wiped my mouth and stood. "I'm not that great at gaming, but okay. Still, aren't we supposed to look for the dice?"

America was confused. "Wait, don't you have them with you?"

Crap. "Um, actually..." I trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.

Something told me he figured it out, but for some reason, he didn't say anything about it. Instead he said, "Just chillax for now. Video games first, okay?"

I nodded, grateful, and we went to the gaming room. The curtains were drawn, blocking light from entering the room. All the screens were on and a pair controllers sat on a table between two comfortable looking chairs. He sat down in one of the chairs and grabbed a controller, and I followed him, part of me afraid I was going to lose really badly. Okay, so games were played for the fun, but still. It'd be kind of embarrassing if I died in the first five minutes.

The game started with my character as an oath-breaking warrior in a dungeon. I was about to be killed when I was suddenly transported to Olympus, where I had to choose one of four gods to follow: Ares, Hades, Zeus and Poseidon. America chose Ares and I decided to go with Poseidon, who seemed like the only god not in a bad mood.

As I had dreaded, I died pretty soon. "Ouch," I said, when a titan roared and drove his spear through my character, allowing blood to explode everywhere.

America glanced at my screen, which was splattered with crimson. "Wow, you weren't kidding when you said you weren't good at this stuff. It's been, what, ten seconds?"

"Fourteen," I corrected.

He gave me a serious look. "My friend, you have a lot to learn on skillful video gaming. Haven't you ever watched any PewDiePie videos?"

"What's that?" I asked blankly.

He stared at me, apparently shocked. "You don't know who _PewDiePie _is?" Then he shook his head and stood. "Ah, never mind. Here, I'll teach you some basics." America walked over to me, took hold of my controller and began guiding me through attacking enemies, kind of like the way teachers guide little kids in practicing their letters.

He was leaning over me, throwing in tips here and there, when I felt it—a stirring in my stomach. All my senses were heightened and I noticed that fast-foody smell that clung to him, that his fingers brushed against mine as he rotated the joysticks on the controller. Then the feeling went away and I could hear what he was saying again.

"...always expect jumps when you're in the dark," America finished. Right about then, the muffled sound of a phone ringing floated into the room. "Wait, let me go get that."

After he left the room, I sat back in my chair and wondered where That Feeling came from. That Feeling was—I'll admit it—pleasant, but not necessarily a good sign. I told myself to avoid That Feeling from now on, because something told me it was going to get me in trouble.

He returned to the gaming room. "Hey Sophie, your mom called," he said. "England wants you to go over to Taiwan's house."

"What? Why?" I asked.

"Your mom wants to check on you," America replied. "And...well, it would be kind of weird if you were staying at a guy's house overnight. Besides, Taiwan lives outside of the sanctuary."

I thought about that and decided it made sense. "So where's her house?"

"Not too far from here. I'll drive you there." He looked down at my leg and grimaced, as if just thinking about the injury was painful. "And you'd better cover up that wound."

"Oh...right." I got up, tried to walk without my stick, and took a few steps forward successfully. "All I need now are some long pants."

"Japan brought some of your belongings over," he said. "He, um, threw away some clothes. Something about how 'young teens shouldn't wear such revealing clothing.'"

As far as I knew, I didn't own any slinky clothes. The most revealing one I had was that black spaghetti-strap tank top Maria gave me for my birthday. I was going to get rid of that one eventually anyway. But there was one particular article of clothing I couldn't live without. "He didn't get rid of my Tony T-shirt, did he?" I asked worriedly.

America raised an eyebrow. "Tony T-shirt?"

"Uh, yeah." For some reason, I was embarrassed. "They made merchandise for him, too."

"I totally have to tell him that." He grinned. "Hey, if I give him one he might even agree to take me to his planet."

"You can buy one on Amazon," I informed him. "It's pretty cheap, too..."

Again, the phone rang. "Probably England again," he said, frowning. "Jeesh, he's so high-strung these days. I guess we better get moving."

America left the house and I went to the living room to retrieve my things and change. My black and pink duffel bag was sitting on the couch, filled to the brim with neatly folded clothes (my Tony shirt had survived, thank goodness), toiletries in a small bag, some miscellaneous stuff and my laptop. I mentally thanked Japan for considering the laptop. I mean, what else would I use to read yaoi?

In the car, we drove in silence. After a while I asked, "Is England always so grumpy?"

"Yeah, ever since we came here," he replied. "He used to be a lot more cheery...well, relatively cheerier. Even his food got worse."

"Oh."

America glanced sideways at me. "I don't think England means to be sour to you," he said, after a moment. "It's just that a couple decades ago, he went to war with Sira when she declared independence. Ever since he lost, he's held a grudge against all Sirans."

I stared at the road. "Does she hate him?"

"No, but they have a tense relationship." He sighed. "He doesn't like me, either. After my country rose to power, he lost almost all his territory. No wonder he's such a grouch."

I felt a little sad...until I realized what an amazing fanfiction that could turn into. I began to map out a story plot in my head.

"Hey...what are you grinning about?" America was looking at me curiously.

My smile faded. "Uh, nothing important. Just some childhood memories."

He didn't seem convinced, but he dropped the topic. "Well, we're here."

I looked out the window. We were in a typical Siran neighborhood. All the houses looked alike, except for the one the car was parked in front of. That house had been painted red, blue and white, and had cherry blossoms painted all over it, so it stood out like pepsi amongst a bunch of coke. Cherry blossom trees surrounded the house, and the Taiwanese flag was stuck in the grass next to the front door.

"Painfully obvious," I remarked.

America shrugged. "Hey, we like to be patriotic."

The front door opened and the personification of the Republic of China walked out, a spring in her step. Taiwan waved. "Nihao, Sophie!"

"See you later," he said. "Buy me a Tony T-shirt sometime, okay?"

When he smiled at me, blue eyes bright, That Feeling came back again. I silently willed for it to go away, but failed. My stomach did a somersault to make it worse.

"Yeah," I said weakly. "Bye. And thanks for the macaroni."

I exited the car and approached Taiwan, who gave me a hug and said, "I'm so glad to see you, Soph!"

She acted like we'd been friends for years. I grinned and returned the favor. "Me, too!"

"I'll make you some bubble milk tea," she said, as we headed inside the house. "Trust me, you haven't lived until you've tried bubble milk tea..."

"Anyong, Taiwan!" Korea sauntered into the living room. "Ooh, who's the guest?"

Taiwan sighed exasperatedly. "Korea, how many times have I told you not to break into my house? You broke my window last time!"

"It wasn't a very attractive window, anyway," he said. "Can I have some tea, too?"

"Fine," Taiwan huffed, but I could tell she was pleased he asked. She turned to me and smiled. "Just make yourself at home. Your mom's arriving soon."

She disappeared into the kitchen and Korea plopped down on the sofa next to me. "So! You're Sophie, right? Did you get my note?"

"

That was for me? "That was for me?"

"Well, duh. Why else would I give it you?" He winked at me, and his eyes moved down to...er, the region below my chin.

"If you make one move on her, I'll kill you," a new voice said. A pretty girl in a green dress came down the stairs and glared at him. "Why can't you be satisfied with Japan and China's 'breasts?'"

Korea jumped up at the sight of her and smiled nervously. "V-Vietnam! How are you doing on this lovely day?"

"Fine, thank you," she answered. Her golden eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What were you planning to do?"

"N-Nothing, of course! I was just having a nice little conversation."

Vietnam glared at him again, then crossed her arms. "Hmph. I'll let you off this time. But I'll be watching you." She looked at me and her expression softened. "This must be a tough experience for you."

"No, I'm fine!" I said, which was mostly true. "It's actually been really exciting. I mean, you guys are so cool!"

She was perplexed by my answer. "Cool? How are we cool?"

"You don't know how many fans you have here," I said. "And all of them are so dedicated, it's amazing."

"I see," she said, but she still looked confused. Vietnam walked over to me and glared at Korea until he squeaked and moved over. She sat next to me and smoothed her dress.

Taiwan emerged from the kitchen with three tall glasses of beige-colored drinks with black dots swimming at the bottom. "Viet-chan, you're up!" she said. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, thank you," Vietnam said. She noticed the drinks and her eyes brightened. "Is that milk tea?"

"Mhmm! Drink up, guys." Taiwan set down the drinks and sat across from us. I took one of the glasses and tried a sip. Just like she had said, it was delicious.

The doorbell rang and Taiwan jumped up to answer it. She opened the door and there stood my mom. My mom looked a little worried, but otherwise she was perfectly fine.

"Hi!" Taiwan greeted her. "You're Sophie's mom, right?"

I realized what a great idea it was to move me here. Taiwan looked about the same age as me and she was just like how a teenager should be. My mom immediately relaxed at the sight of her, and the sight of me on the couch.

"Yes, I am," my mom answered. "And you are...?"

"I'm Xiao Mei," Taiwan said, holding out her hand. "Pleased to meet you, Mrs..."

"Dupont," my mom finished, shaking Taiwan's hand. "May I come in?"

"Of course!" Taiwan stepped aside and my mom entered, immediately rushing towards me.

"Sophie! Thank goodness you're alright," she said, clearly relieved. "After I found out our house was broken into, and about that poor girl who was murdered..."

I gave her a reassuring smile. "I'm fine, Mom. Sorry for not telling you about the sleepover sooner."

She shook her head. "No, it's alright. It's nice to know you're already making friends."

"Would you like to stay for tea, Mrs. Dupont?" Taiwan asked. "It's a special kind you can only find in my country."

"Thank you, but I must be going now. Have fun, girls." She smiled and Korea added, "and guy."

After she left, Vietnam said, "Taiwan, what do you have in mind? I see something in your eyes."

Taiwan's brown eyes gleamed. "I'm going to show Sophie my secret stash."

Vietnam groaned and Korea made a choking sound. "Don't traumatize her," the Vietnamese nation pleaded. "Please."

"What's this secret stash?" I asked curiously.

"Oh, you'll see," Taiwan said. "Follow me!" I went with Taiwan upstairs and she opened a door down the hallway. We entered what I guessed was her bedroom and she began rummaging through her drawers, finally coming up a plastic folder. "Here it is!"

She took out some files and I saw that they were all Japanese comic strips. We sat down on her bed and she spread them across the sheets. Taiwan looked at me and, with a smile, asked, "Tell me, do you know what yaoi is?"

I stared at her, mouth agape. "Y-Yaoi?" A grin spread across my face. "Oh my God, you're a _yaoi _fan?"

She squealed. "Yes, I am! It's Japan's best invention yet!"

I noticed that there was Japanese stuff everywhere in her room: posters with pictures of anime characters, vocaloid merchandise, omamori, and manga books on her bookshelves. She sure was a fan of Japan. "So, which anime's yaoi do you support?"

"Oh, the one that exists in our lives," Taiwan answered. "I learned about the Hetalia yaoi madness around a year ago. Hungary formed a club just for it! Right now the members are Seychelles, Hungary and myself. Sealand came to a meeting once, but after that he never came back again. Sey-chan said he'd been mentally scarred, but how anyone be traumatized by yaoi?"

"I know, right," I agreed. I leaned forward eagerly. "Do you have any USUK doujinshis?"

"Of course! That's the most popular one in the fandom." She gave some to me and said, "And there's also..."

"Hey, Sophie!" came Korea's voice. He opened the door. "England's here..."

"Korea and China!" Taiwan finished. "Sooo hot!"

Korea looked like he was about to faint.

"Can I keep these for awhile?" I asked Taiwan, gesturing at the USUK strips.

She nodded. "Sure! You know, I even have some pictures..."

Korea snapped out of his shock and said, "Eum, England's waiting downstairs, you know."

"Oh. Right," I said, not sounding very enthusiastic. I organized the doujinshis into a neat stack and followed Korea downstairs, Taiwan just behind me. The British nation was sitting in the living room. To my surprise, he wasn't dressed all formal like the previous night. Instead he wore jeans, a T-shirt with the English flag on it and New Balance sneakers.

Maybe there was hope for him yet.

"Hello," he said. "Are you feeling better today?"

Okay. What. "Yes I am, thank you."

He smiled—_smiled_—and said, "That's good to hear. So, do you have an idea where the dice might be?"

I gaped at him. "H-How did you know I lost it?"

England sighed. "America told me. And I..." He hesitated. "I apologize for being unacceptably rude. None of this is your fault, after all."

Ah. So the gentleman England had finally revealed himself. "Um, it's okay," I said, because to tell the truth I didn't want him to be all nice and loving. It was totally un-tsundere-like. "Really. I mean, this is like a fangirl's dream!"

"Well. I suppose that's good," he said. "So, my previous question...?"

"Oh, right. Sometime in middle school, I gave the necklace to my friend for good luck because she was entering a national spelling bee competition. She won, of course, but she lost the necklace. That was in Spain."

"Do you know any more details about its whereabouts?" he asked, frowning.

"She said she misplaced it in the hotel," I said. "I think I know which one. I _think_."

"That's a good enough lead." England stood and turned to the Asian nations. "Thank you for letting her stay here, Taiwan."

"No problem!" she chirped, lively as ever. "Come again anytime."

"Thanks, Mei." I grinned at her. "You better show me the pictures sometime."

She grinned back. "You'll be shocked when you see them."

England looked at her, then at me, apparently confused. "Let's go, Sophie," he said. I nodded, took my duffel bag, and followed him out the door.

"So, where's the next stop?" I asked as we got into his Land Rover (Land Rover? Seriously? Why not Bentley?).

"Spain," he answered, and my mouth dropped open.

"It'll be a quick ride," England continued, while I was still speechless. "Assuming the hamburger git wasn't just trying to prove his ridiculously large ego, it'll take a couple of hours at most."

"Ah," I said weakly.

It wasn't long before we arrived at the sanctuary. A private jet was parked in the center, and America was waving from inside the cockpit.

"Japan and America will go with you," he said. "I have some...business to deal with here." He didn't mention what "business" he was talking about.

England parked the car and we got out. Before I headed toward the plane he said, "Wait, I forgot something important. Stand still."

I did as he told me. He knelt, produced some chalk and drew a circle around me. Immediately I began to have a bad feeling about this. England drew some ancient symbols along the border of the circle and sprinkled green powder around it, muttering something incoherent under his breath. The circle flashed bright blue and my head felt lighter.

I closed my eyes. For a heartbeat I felt immense pain. Then all of a sudden everything was normal again, and I slowly opened my eyes. "What just..."

I stopped mid-sentence. My voice sounded different, almost as if...

"AAHH! W-What did you do to me?" I looked around frantically and rushed to the car window. My reflection proved it was real.

I didn't look like plain school/fangirl Sophie anymore. Hell, I didn't even look prettier.

Nope, I was something far, far worse.

* * *

***And that's it. How do you guys like it? **

***This is one of those yay-meet-new-nations chapters, so t****here's more drama rather than action.****This fanfic will switch between drama and action. The next chapter will be action. **

***Still, I'm not entirely satisfied with this one. But I had fun writing it anyway, so whatevs. =) **

*** Thank you for reading! :) Adios~ **

**...x Whitlinger x...**


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